Chelsea move La Liga defensive stalwart to the top of the summer transfer shortlist

Transfer News: Raphael Varane now a priority for Chelsea in the summer

According to German football expert Christian Falk of BILD (h/t Mirror), Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Real Madrid defender, Raphael Varane.

The Frenchman is going to enter the last year of his contract with Madrid soon and is expected to leave the La Liga giants in the summer transfer window. And Chelsea seem to gearing up to sign him.

The report states that Manchester United have, for long, been frontrunners for securing the 28-year-old’s signature. But the Blues have moved the defender up their transfer shortlist.

And Chelsea are now prioritizing a deal for the former Lens man as Thomas Tuchel looks to bolster his defensive options.

Varane to the Bridge?

Also, Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, gave his views on Varane’s situation at the club earlier this week. He announced that any Madrid player, including Varane, could leave if he wants to. (h/t Mirror)

Varane? I’m happy with our team. But if players don’t want to stay at Madrid they can leave.”

In all honesty, the Blues have a very solid defence as it is. Tuchel’s men have kept 10 clean sheets in 14 Premier League games since the former PSG boss arrived at Stamford Bridge. To add to that, the depth also seems to be good.

Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, and Cesar Azpilicueta already make up for a very able defensive line. But Tuchel utilizes a three-man defensive pairing with two full-backs.

This means that added depth is needed for Chelsea at the back, and Thiago Silva, who turns 37 this year, could see out his Chelsea contract by the summer. In that case, the Blues would require a quality centre-back to lead the line.

More Chelsea News:

• Transfer News: Chelsea ace Olivier Giroud to leave at the end of the season
• Timo Werner speaks out on Thomas Tuchel’s tactics at Chelsea
• Transfer News: Chelsea could finally land Boubacar Kamara

And Varane can be just that. It now remains to be seem if the Blues formalize their interest and beat other suitors to bring the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner to Stamford Bridge.